Sri Lanka anticipates fewer visitors from Europe due to the prolonged recession, thus it is relying on tourists from India, its main source market, to increase foreign exchange profits and support economic recovery.
India is Sri Lanka’s main source market for tourists, and it is expected to help the country recover and increase its foreign exchange revenues. The island nation played host to the 67th TAAI Convention, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking to the press, predicted that tourism would overtake other industries as Sri Lanka’s top source of foreign revenue within the next ten years. He pointed out the opportunity in the region to display various places and cuisines and questioned, “Why don’t we make our entire BIMSTEC area one borderless tourist area?”
In recent years, especially during COVID-19 and later, during the island nation’s economic crisis, India has constantly topped Sri Lanka’s visitor arrival rankings. Authorities noted 1,23,004 tourists from India, or 24% of all visitors, during its 2022 political turmoil, followed by Russia and the United Kingdom.
According to Chalaka Gajabahu, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, India and China are “low hanging fruits” in the wake of the global recession. “The focus on India and strategic partnerships between the two countries is therefore vital in ensuring a successful recovery for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry,” he declared.
